BERKELEY – Led by 2018 Wade Trophy and Citizen Naismith Player of the Year Trophy candidate Kristine Anigwe's 25-point performance, California (4-2, 0-0 Pac-12) jolted past Seattle University (3-4, 0-0 WAC), 87-67, on Thursday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. Three Golden Bears scored in double figures as Cal hosted more than four thousand visiting elementary and middle school students in the fourth annual School Haas  Rock.

Anigwe scored 21 of her 25 points in the first half as the junior center/forward registered her 36th game with at least 20 points and her second  20-point outing of the season. The two-time All-American went 12-16 from the floor and added eight rebounds in 23  minutes of action.
 
Sophomore center CJ West chipped in a career-high 18 points, going 7-8 from the floor, while classmate Jaelyn Brown matched her season-high with 11 points. A balanced offensive effort was highlighted with 10 different Bears contributing to the scoring effort on Thursday.
 
"It was a fun day in Haas because we have the opportunity to impact so many kids," said Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. "Hopefully, the kids walk away with a feeling that they can do anything in life after watching our women play. It's one of my favorite games of the year. It's a special day for us."
 
"I thought we took care of business today," Gottlieb continued. "[Kristine and CJ] finished baskets and I thought we shared the ball really well. It was a good chance for us to get better. We have a lot of depth this year and a lot versatility."
 
Cal opened the game on an 11-2 run behind a pair of quick buckets from Anigwe to build momentum early as the Bears controlled the tempo from the outset. The Golden Bears finished the first quarter with a 25-10 lead, punctuated by a beautiful lob from junior guard Asha Thomas (6 points, 2 assists) inside to Anigwe to cap off a 12-point quarter for the Bears' current scoring leader. Anigwe and Brown knocked in the Bears final two shots of the first half to head into intermission with a 20-point cushion, 44-24.
 
Seattle U  was led by seniors Alexis Montgomery who scored a game-high 26 points and Jacinta Beckley, who added 15 before fouling out. Montgomery became the Redhawks' 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
 
The milestone would not be enough for Seattle, however, as the Bears held their opponent below 70 points for the third consecutive game.
 
"We mixed up our defenses a lot," Gottlieb said. "We used three-quarter court press, a little full-court press, some 2-3 zone and our man-to-man. Our players are understanding what they're supposed to do and doing it more confidently. I can say 'we're going to do this defense' for one reason or 'let's go out there and try to really get stops.' The maturity and understanding is there with this group."
 
After a three-game home stretch, Cal heads to Santa Clara (2-4, 0-0 WCC) on Saturday, Dec. 2 for a 2 p.m. (PT) tipoff. The Bears knocked off the Broncos 73-58 in their home opener a season ago with four Bears posting double-digit performances – Anigwe (20), Cowling (16), Thomas (13) and Davidson (12). Cal leads the all-time series with Santa Clara, 26-7.

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